A New Hero Arrives
by Insensatus
Summary: A first attempt at writing fanfiction. Elaine Volk manages to make it to Camp Half-Blood, where she learns some truths about the world. She and her new demigod friends will embark on frightening adventures, where she will have new experiences and maybe almost die a couple of times.
1. Chapter 1

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It was always me. My mother died at birth, and I never had a father in my life. I was sent to three different foster families, and this was my fourth. I hated them, and they hated me. It was the only thing we agreed on.

I was forced to go to the local middle school, but I could never keep up. Diagnosed with both ADHD and dyslexia, I was surprised to even be in the right grade. I hated interaction with other people, and school was the worst. Trouble seemed to follow me everywhere, I was expelled from every school I've ever gone to, which directly correlated with the amount of foster families I had.

One day, my only friend, a scrawny girl who was seriously shy, wasn't at school. I managed to survive until lunch, when this kid pushed me to the ground. It was totally unexpected, as I never paid attention to other people. He glared at me, hissing "I know who you are, Elaine Volk!"

I was slightly surprised, partly because I was on the school floor, and partly because he knew my name. I tried not to stand out in school, which wasn't hard in the hoards of sixth grade children. Something bad happened to me in the past three schools, but not to this extent.

"I'm not sure what you mean," I managed to say, under his tight viselike lock. I glanced around, hoping someone would come to help, but strangely, no one seemed to notice.

I watched helplessly as his horrid face began to contort, his yellowed fingernails elongated into claws, and his skin grew long fur. He had a scorpion's tail, leathery wings, and a dark mane of hair. I screamed, and felt a surge of adrenaline.

Time seemed to stop as a black sword appeared in my hand. I stared in disbelief at the sword, thinking how it was illegal to have weapons in school. My ADHD went crazy, wondering how my foster family would react to my suspension or expulsion from the school. But at the same time, I was hacking away at the boy, my eyes closed in terror. Then, I fainted.

When I finally opened them, I wasn't at the school anymore. The strange black sword had disappeared. I sat up, wondering if that was just an unknown side effect of ADHD. I saw Eirene, my friend, sitting next to me.

"Where are we? What happened?" I asked, still confused about the past events.

Eirene had a strange expression on her face, almost like… guilt? "Uh… sorry for not being at school today," she said quietly.

"You're not answering my question." I knew I was being rude, but I didn't care about that.

She ignored me, "I had a doctor's appointment. With… uh… the family doctor."

Obviously something suspicious was going on. "Eirene, you're hiding something from me."

She looked away quickly. "No I'm not."

"You suck at lying."

"What are you talking about?" she mumbled.

"Don't act innocent," I pressed, knowing she would give in sometime. "Tell me what's going on."

Eirene finally turned to look at me. Her dark eyes were filled with tears. "I can't tell you."

I was definitely surprised to see tears. Something serious was happening, and I didn't know what it was. "Eirene, do you know about the guy who attacked me today? Was… was that real?" I asked. My hands started to shake at the thought of the monster who had appeared.

"I can't tell you," she repeated.

At that point, I was frustrated. I had just been attacked by some monster-child mutant, and my only friend refused to tell me anything. "Fine, then." I said angrily, and stormed off home.

After that, I interacted even less with other people. I got into more arguments with my foster parents, and my grades dropped. I even skipped school sometimes. This behavior continued until my foster parents decided that they had enough.

One day, they made the phone call. I was going to have a fifth set of foster parents.

When the car came for me, it was not what I was expecting. The car was bright green, and the man who came out was the counselor of the school. He raised his finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet. I obliged, thinking that the school was going to expel me or something. I got into the car, when I saw Eirene.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

Eirene shushed me, and motioned for me to get in the car. The counselor, Mr. Pixler, put my tiny suitcase in the trunk, and we were off.

Eirene inhaled, as if she was preparing for a long speech. "Okay, Elaine. This may come as a shock to you, but don't freak out… okay?"

I nodded hesitantly.

"Mr. Pixler and I, we came to this school to protect you."

"What?"

"Ask questions later, just listen. You are a demigod, a daughter of a god. And-"

I interrupted her again. "What? A god?"

"Yes, a Greek god. And we're taking you to Camp Half-Blood, a safe place to train demigods like you." She took out a picture, showing a bunch of cabins around a large fire.

"And how do you expect me to believe you? Are you a demigod too?" I asked doubtfully.

"Here, I'll just show you." She proceeded to take off her hair - no, her _wig_, to reveal two horns poking out of her honey brown hair. Then she took off her worn sneakers to reveal cream hooves. "I'm a satyr. And this is my first time retrieving a demigod."

For the first time in my life, I was speechless.

Mr. Pixler coughed. "Eirene, don't overwhelm her."

Eirene sighed. "Elaine- " Then the car flipped over.

Eirene screamed, and I might have screamed too. "Get out of the car!" she shouted. With shaking fingers, I opened the car door and climbed out of the upside-down car. I glanced at Eirene, waiting for further instruction.

"Run!" she screamed, grabbing my hand and pulling me. I looked behind us, and there was the same boy who had attacked me in the school, with two other equally ugly boys. Tears were streaming down my face. _Please let us get to Camp Half-Blood, _I thought.

Something even more unbelievable happened next. Everything disappeared, and I was in the safety of the shadows, moving at an incredible speed. I was vaguely aware of the presence of Eirene near me. Suddenly, we appeared next to a large sign, with the words "Camp Half Blood" on it.

I collapsed in exhaustion.


	2. Chapter 2

A blonde girl with gray eyes was sitting next to me when I woke up.

"Hey," she said. "I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena."

"Hi," I croaked. My throat was parched and I had a throbbing headache.

"Have some nectar, it'll make you feel better." She handed me a cup of golden liquid. I eagerly accepted, and gulped down the liquid. It didn't have a distinct flavor, but it instantly made me feel better.

"Thanks." I said, not used to talking to strangers. "Um… my name is Elaine Volk. I don't know who my father is."

Annabeth sighed. "Elaine, you're the daughter of Hades."

"What? The god of death or something?" I faintly recalled from a cartoon I watched in elementary school.

"The god of the underworld," Annabeth corrected. "But something like that. We know because you shadow-travelled, and the mark appeared when you were unconscious."

"Shadow-travelled? The mark?" I asked, confused.

"Shadow-traveling is something only children of Hades can do. I have a friend, Nico, who can do that too. You seem to have a talent for it, because you were able to do it on the first try, and you didn't even know what you were doing." Annabeth explained. "The mark that appeared over your head is a sign that shows who you're the child of. Before, gods and goddesses wouldn't always claim their child, but now they do."

Annabeth explained things clearly and without hesitation. Even so, I couldn't wrap my mind around this impossible information. "So the winged boy who attacked me… Was he some sort of monster?"

"According to the description, he's a manticore. But don't worry, you're safe inside of the camp borders."

"There was a-" I stopped myself from mentioning the black sword. There was a strange feeling, as if the sword wouldn't belong to me if I mentioned it.

Annabeth didn't ask for more information. A boy with black hair like mine walked into the cabin.

"This is Nico, also a son of Hades." Annabeth introduced.

"Hello," he said.

I noticed he had a black sword similar to mine. It was slightly thicker, but around the same length. I suppose he noticed me looking at it, because he said, "This sword is made from Stygian iron. It can harm both mortals and immortals." He glanced at Annabeth. "You have told her about the harming-thing, right?"

"She just woke up. I can't explain everything to her."

The two demigods explained many concepts to me, describing the underworld and Olympus, and about Camp Jupiter and the wars. Then, I was taken on a tour of the camp. Many demigods greeted me, but there were too many names to remember.

Finally, Nico took me to Cabin 13. There were solid obsidian walls, and coffin shaped beds. "You designed this yourself?" I asked Nico.

I may have just imagined it, but he looked proud. "Yeah, and I built it too, with the help of some undead workers."

I knew about his power to summon the dead, and I wondered if I had any cool powers like that too.

"Hazel Levensque, a daughter of Pluto, visits sometimes. But this cabin is empty very frequently." Nico said wistfully.

At dinner that night, Nico and I sat down alone at the 13th table. I was relieved when Eirene came over. She was the only piece of home I had, even Mr. Pixler disappeared off somewhere.

"How are you doing here?" Eirene asked, chewing on her paper plate.

"I'm okay." I replied. And so went on with the dinner conversation. Eirene kept it light, just like how we conversed at school, but I didn't mind. So much interaction with new people tired me.

Mr. D the camp director, who turned out to be Dionysus, wasn't what I expected a god to be. His Hawaiian shirt and pudgy face hardly seemed godly, but I knew better than to mention it, thanks to advice from Annabeth. He hastily welcomed me to the camp, and returned to his seat with a Diet Coke.

That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I looked outside, and the moon was shining a bright silver. I decided to go for a walk, so I slipped out of the bed and went out into the woods.

I'm not sure why I went into the woods, or why I walked so far. I was drawn to the darkness of the woods, somehow. I reached a place in the woods where it was so dark, there was no light from the moon at all. In a trance-like state, I said "Anastithei apo tous nekrous , lepida mou apo to skotadi."

I spoke the Greek as if I knew the language all my life. The words meant something like "Rise from the dead, my blade of darkness." My thin sword rose from the ground, the cool Stygian iron felt right in my hands. I was about to turn around and go back when I heard a voice.

"What are you doing here?"

I flinched, and saw a boy, faintly illuminated by the moonlight. I was relieved to see Nico. "I… couldn't sleep, so I came here."

"You came pretty far."

"Were you following me?" I asked.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I wander off a lot too, being away from people helps me think. But these woods can be dangerous, especially without a weapon. But I supposed that doesn't apply to you now."

"I kind of used this sword before. To defeat the manticore at school."

He raised an eyebrow. "But if you defeated him with that sword, he shouldn't reformed."

"What do you mean?"

"Stygian iron doesn't work the same way as Celestial bronze or Imperial gold does. It can absorb the very essence of the monster. So the manticore must've escaped before you were able to kill it."

I was slightly disappointed that I didn't kill the monster, but intrigued by how Stygian iron works. "That's cool."

"You shouldn't use that blade," he said. "Get another weapon, because it's dangerous to use Stygian iron."

"But you use it," I countered.

He sighed. "I know. But I try not to use it. I once had another weapon, too. Diocletian's scepter, then it exploded."

"Nico, you're my brother." I realized.

Nico was surprised by my sudden change in topic. "Yeah, I'm your half-brother."

"I've never had family before."

Nico smiled gently. "I had a sister, Bianca. She chose rebirth."

Just then, all of the events hit me. I started to sob. "I have no home now. But.. but… I have a brother."

After my somewhat embarrassing mental breakdown, we returned to the cabin. It was three in the morning, so I had very little sleep.

I woke up after vivid dreams about skeleton warriors. After getting dressed, I noticed Nico wasn't in the cabin. When I walked outside, I saw a group of demigods staring intently at a red-haired girl.

She turned to look at me, and suddenly her eyes glowed green and mist rose around her. She opened her mouth and began to speak.


	3. Chapter 3

_Through the steps of a deceived and reborn hero,_

_to the realm with prisoners of eternity._

_Bronze and iron, a quiver of arrows,_

_two sons and two daughters of Greek shall retrieve._

_Lose one to the raging sea,_

_a trick of the eyes that will deceive._

_Return later than the solstice,_

_and the deaths won't be reprieved._

Those words played on repeat in my head. Since the Oracle looked straight at me during the whole prophecy, it was nearly unanimous that I would lead the quest. I hadn't even been in camp for a day, and I was leading a quest? There were some people against that, and I agreed. Not having proper skills with a sword, I probably couldn't even protect myself, much less a whole group of demigods.

Because I wasn't familiar with the members of the camp, I was given another three days to choose my three other companions. There would be one more girl, whom I've decided to be Annabeth. She helped me as soon as I got to camp, and she was really smart. She accepted, thankfully.

Next, I asked Nico. Being my half brother, he was someone I could trust. He shared similar problems with me, and I didn't want to talk to more people. He didn't seem eager to go, but he accepted too.

There was only one more spot left according to the prophecy. _Two sons and two daughters_; I had two daughters but only one son. I consulted Annabeth about this problem.

"'_Return later than the solstice, and the deaths won't be reprieved…'_" Annabeth was saying. "Again, it's the solstice. Deaths? And '_Lose one to the raging sea…' _Surely it doesn't mean…"

I understood what she was trying to say. "Annabeth, if you're worried about this quest, I don't want to force you to go."

"No, I will go. But it doesn't necessarily imply that someone will die. There have been many instances where… people have the wrong idea of what a prophecy implies. Hopefully, we're wrong about this one too. So what did you come for?"

"I was wondering if you could help me decide on who the last person in this quest should be. Can you help?"

Annabeth grimaced. "That's hard, I-"

"Annabeth!" a voice called, and a guy with dark hair and green eyes appeared, whom I recognized as the infamous Percy Jackson.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain."

"You're going on the quest, aren't you?" he accused, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Annabeth said, but Percy wasn't convinced.

"You promised me that you wouldn't make me worry," he murmured, stroking Annabeth's hair.

"You don't have to worry," Annabeth said, wrapping her arms around his waist. I was starting to feel like an invisible third wheel.

Percy took his hand out of Annabeth's hair. "You're going to leave me for _who knows how long_, and you expect me to not worry? I would follow you there even if the gods themselves came to stop me."

"As if you can get anywhere without my help!" Annabeth teased. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

"It's going to be dangerous, Annabeth. I'll go in your place."

Annabeth sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, you know the rules. I chose to go." I knew this was becoming more and more private, so I left as silently as I could.

There was some kind of archery practice going on, but I was too nervous about the quest. I decided to practice shadow traveling. Nico showed me once, but there wasn't much to learn from seeing.

I concentrated on an image of the strawberry fields. Trying to blend in with the shadows, I shut my eyes and exhaled. There was a cool feeling of movement, and I was in the strawberry fields.

"I did it!" I cheered to myself. But my arms were weak and my legs were heavy. _I should be able to do this again, _I thought. After another attempt, I returned in my cabin.

I collapsed on my coffin-bed with satisfaction. Not bothering to change, I got under my covers, prepared to take a long nap.

"Your shadow traveling skills are remarkable," Nico said.

"Gah!" I shrieked (embarrassingly).

Nico seemed amused, which annoyed me to great lengths. "Don't just appear out of nowhere," I grumbled.

"Actually, you appeared out of nowhere." I glared at him, and he quickly changed the topic. "Anyways, have you found the last person in your quest yet?"

My slight euphoria from shadow traveling disappeared. "I'm not even close. I didn't meet many new people today." It wasn't the whole truth, in fact, I met _no _new people.

"That's fine, you want to go on a quest with people you already know and trust. So why don't you choose someone that you already know pretty well?"  
><em>The problem was, I only knew Nico and Annabeth, <em>I thought. _I knew some other people from brief introductions, but not well. _"I know Percy Jackson, sort of," I said, thinking about the brief encounter where he didn't even look at me.

Nico's permanently sour expression lit up, if only for a millisecond. "That would be awesome!" He seemed to realize what he said. "I mean, for Annabeth," he added hastily.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was slightly intimidated by Percy. Probably because I had never actually talked to him, and because of the aura he had, one that demanded respect. "Nico, do you want to ask him?"

"No," he said quickly. "You should go, because… you're leading the quest."

With a bit of trepidation, I set off to the third cabin. I knocked, hoping he was there. No one answered, so I wandered to Athena's cabin. He and Annabeth were standing in front of the blue and gold building.

"Hi Annabeth!" I said in a squeaky voice. _Do you mind if I take your boyfriend on this dangerous quest too? _I thought. "Hi Percy!"

"Hello, Elaine," Annabeth said. "I was just going to look for you, there's something I need to ask you."

That caught me off guard. I had been rehearsing a mini-speech on the way there, but this unexpected event knocked the words out of my mouth. "Sure… go ahead."

"I would like for Percy to come with us on the quest," she stated. Her words seemed strained somehow, as if she knew something awful was going to happen.

Relieved that I wouldn't have to make further interactions with Percy, I agreed easily. "I'd love to have Percy go." Distracted by my relief, I didn't see Annabeth's eyes welling with tears, or Percy's nervous glances at his girlfriend.


End file.
